D/17.S/0.Y OF rOHAGE I'LAXTS 



901 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



EXPERIMENTAL STATION, FREDERICTON, N.B. 



REPOUT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT, W. W. HUBBARD. 



INDIAN CORN. 



Four varieties of Indian corn were grown for ensilage. Planting was ^ done on 

 the 5tli and 6th of June. The ground was a naturally well-drained sandy loam that 

 had been cutting good crops of hay for several years. A portion had a heavy crop of 

 clover last year. It was ploughed in October, 1912, and worked up with a disc harrow 

 in the spring. On account of the cold wet weather during May, and the fact that the 

 land was badly infested with couch and mustard, planting was not done till date 

 above mentioned. Horse stable manure was apjilied at the rate of eighteen 3.5-bushel 

 loads per acre, and on the 12-J acres there was applied at the time of planting a 

 mixture of 975 pounds nitrate of soda, 325 pounds sulphate of ammonia, 3,900 pounds 

 acid phosphate, and 050 pounds muriate of potash, equal to 468 pounds high-grade 

 mixed fertilizer per acre, analysing 3-G per cent nitrogen, 10 per cent phosphoric 

 acid, and 5-5 per cent potash, or equal to 936 pounds low-grade mixture, with 1-8 per 

 cent nitrogen, 5 per cent phosphoric acid, and 2-7 per cent potash. 



On account of the cold weather the seed germinated very slowly, no plants 

 appearing until the 21st of June, and then coming up very irregularly. There was 

 no stand of plants until the 1st of July. 



Before the corn plants appeared a spike-tooth harrow was run cross wise of the 

 rows and as soon as the rows could be followed a one-horse scuffler was run between 

 the rows. The scuffler was put through the field onee a week until the corn got too 

 high. On account of the couch grass and mustard in the ground, two thorough hand 

 hoeings were found necessary. The hand labour made the cultivation pretty costly, 

 and would be quite unnecessary on reasonably clean ground. 



The varieties grown, height of stalk, degree of maturity, and acreage of each 

 were as follows : — 



Variety. 



Longfellow 



Lpaniinf? 



White Cap Yellow Dent 

 Compton's Early 



Acreage. 



Length 



of 

 Stalk . 



Degree of Maturity. 



Acres. 



3 

 3 

 5 

 1 



Inches. 



82 

 94 

 84 

 80 



Ears formed ; thin milky stage. 

 Ears formed ; watery stage. 

 Ears foinif-d ; white milky stage. 

 Ears formed ; thin milky stage. 



No facilities were available for weighing the crop. It was cut and bound from 

 the 25th September to 1st October, cut into |-inch lengths, and put in the silo. The 

 resulting ensilage had a clean aroma, with but slight acidity. 



The yield from the 12i acres, according to the cubic contents of the silo, was 

 between 110 and 115 tons. 



